Containers of various sizes and shapes have long been used for packaging material. Generally, the style and configuration of packaging is selected based on packaging cost and the characteristics of material to be packaged.
Alternatively, when the material to be packaged is a liquid, has a granular consistency or includes a plurality of pieces, it may be preferable to have a sealed container which provides an internal cavity for the material to be stored and access to the cavity upon opening or rupturing the container. Further, with many materials, it may be desirable to provide a tamper evident feature to indicate whether or not the container has been previously opened.
A variety of tamper evident features have been employed in packaging. Exemplary tamper evident features include plastic wrapped about the container, a foil or paper seal secured to and extending across a container opening, and a removable cap having a break-off portion which cannot be reconnected to the removable cap after having been broken upon initial opening of the container.
As a result, the practice of packaging material within a sealed container and having a tamper evident feature requires multiple components which must be optimized and coordinated for the particular material to be packaged and potential environment of use. Further, a processor who packages various materials may be required to stock different containers and tamper evident features for each different material to be packaged.
In addition, given the variety of tamper evident features used in packaging today, a consumer may have difficulty ascertaining whether a product has been opened for the first time. For example, as noted above, some tamper evident features include only a thin plastic wrap around a portion of the container, while some may use a seal under a removable cap, and some may use both. As a result, it can be difficult for consumers to ascertain by a quick visual examination whether a container has been opened for a first time. Another consideration in the ease of being able to open the container, particularly upon initial opening which requires overcoming the tamper evident feature as well. For example, shrink wrap and seal types of tamper evident features can be extremely difficult to remove particularly to those with limited dexterity.
It also is important to extend consideration to being able to recycle discarded containers. Recycling is made more difficult by containers made of multiple components because the different components are made from different materials.